A removal truck has been destroyed in a collision with a power pole in Wollongong.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The truck was en route to a job in Wollongong when it moved far into the left eastbound lane on Crown Street, to avoid a ute that was stopped and preparing to turn onto Mangerton Road, about 9am Monday.
The truck’s passenger said he was thrown against the door and windscreen as the container connected with a roadside power pole.
“We were in the gutter and it [the pole] hit the mirror, then sort of took control,” he said.
“As we’ve clipped it it’s sort of taken hold and thrown us back around the pole. Its spun us around the pole.”
The truck was to make a delivery for Nowra-based business Dave’s Removals.
Business owner David Harper said the driver and passenger were unhurt, thought a bigger truck had to be brought in to complete the job.
“Everyone’s OK, just a little shaken,” he said.
“They were just driving to work to pick up a load and the whole box of the pantech was ripped off.”
Mr Harper believes the power pole involved in the collision is positioned too close to the roadway. He is calling on authorities to examine the issue.
“Witnesses have told us that that police has claimed about 50 truck mirrors in the last few months,” he said.
“It’s right on the edge.
”The road leans in and the pole leans over. You can’t be on a road and hit a pole – it just doesn’t make sense. It’s dangerous.”
“We think it should be fixed or at least looked at before something serious happens.
“We were lucky no one was seriously hurt.”
A white van travelling behind the truck was also damaged in the collision. The driver was uninjured.
UPDATE 6pm:
Endeavour Energy has vowed to review the location of the pole in the aftermath of the crash, in conjunction with Roads and Maritime Services.
“In many cases, the roads adjacent to power poles have been widened over time, effectively bringing travelling vehicles closer,” an Endeavour spokeswoman said. “The camber of the road and the location of poles on corners can also be factors in vehicles colliding with poles. As roads change over time, it’s appropriate to consider moving existing poles out of the way where lanes have been widened or changed.”
Endeavour Energy has more than 400,000 poles and streetlight columns in its network, the spokeswoman added. “Power poles in urban areas are generally located behind the kerb in accordance with the space allocated for electricity networks determined by the NSW Street Opening Coordination Council.”